Organization XIII: A Different Tale
by Dark Ascension
Summary: Kexez finds himself in a world he's not familiar with, with no memory of his past. He joins the mysterious Organization XIII, to search for the things he lost: memory and heart.
1. Arrival: Part I

**Author's Note: To clear things, this is half OC; many of the characters are taken from an RP page. Characters like Axel and Roxas will appear in later Chapters. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts and all related media. They are the property of Disney and Square Enix.  
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**ARRIVAL: Part I  
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Silence. It was a common thing in the Dark City, as it was mostly deserted. The few inhabitants who chose to stay didn't go out, as mysterious dark entities lurk the streets. They didn't know what these things were, but they have seen their ferocity, and how they won't hesitate to attack… and kill. They feared that as they rounded a corner a horde of these pitch-black creatures would be waiting for them, so many fled. Yes it was quiet, but not for long.

Somewhere on the streets, a boy stirs from being unconscious. He had silver hair that stood up at different angles, and looked no older than sixteen. The clouds; which almost all the time prevented the sun from shining down on the city, parted, and sunlight gleamed on the boy's face. He opened his eyes and rose, brushing off with his hands the dust from his dark blue shirt, his black jacket, and his blue jeans that almost reached all the way to the heel of his white sneakers.

He looked around and noticed the high buildings that surrounded him, the neon lights that were shut off, and the deafening silence.

"Where am I?" he said with curiosity as he walked onward, his eyes loitering to the buildings from time to time.

He came upon a large expanse of asphalt, almost like an intersection. A towering skyscraper stood above the scene, with a large flat screen at its facade. He stared at it with awe, as though it was a great monument.

As he approached it, he felt an ominous aura around him, and could have sworn he saw something move to his right, but he kept moving. He ascended the steps, and raised his hand to knock at the door of the building, but he was suddenly surprised to see it was open.

He went inside to find a lobby. It looked, like much of the city, abandoned, but not as much. There were couches and seats that were covered with plastic. The door to an elevator at the far end of the lobby was covered with a yellow tape that read, "OUT OF ORDER." A chandelier that was missing a few bulbs hung in the middle of the room. The front desk to his left was dusty, and the clocks behind it have stopped working. An elderly old man, dressed in a tuxedo, sat behind it. His eyes were covered by his fedora on his head. He was smoking a black cigar and was scribbling in what looked like a notebook.

The boy approached the front desk.

"Um... Excuse me? Do you know where I am?" the boy asked the man, but the man didn't nod at him, let alone acknowledge his presence.

"Hello?" the boy asked, now shouting. But still the man sat there, scribbling away. He waved his hand in front of the man's face. Slowly, the elder's writing began to slow, until his pen came to a halt. Suddenly, the man took his grip from the pen, and thrust it at the boy's arm, trying to grasp it. The boy withdrew his hand just in time. The man was still trying to grasp at the boy, his hands clawing at the air. The boy stepped back, not only because of the man's strange behavior, but it was his eyes that truly made him back away.

His eyes were yellow and beady, and stared at him as though he was staring at his soul.

The boy took several more steps back, his gaze on the man never breaking, and his on the boy. The man, who was cradling on the on his stomach, fell from the desk, rolling several feet from where the boy stood. The boy stopped stepping back, as a deafening crash resonated behind him. He looked around, and saw the chandelier laying in pieces. It was a good thing that he looked around, or else he wouldn't find about what was going on behind him. Figures started rising from the floor, ceiling and walls. He looked back at the man, and where he once lay stood a pitch black creature, with a human like structure, crooked antennae, sharp claws and blue veins that go across most of its body.

Fear started to rise in the boy. He bolted for the door, crashing through it and falling at the bottom of the steps. He quickly rose from the shards of glass and started to run. He tried to go back the way he came, but several more of these creatures appeared to bar his path. He turned around, and saw several more advancing on him. At that moment, he knew it was the end for him. He was going to die in a place he didn't know, by creatures unknown to him. One of them jumped at him, its claws bared. He closed his eyes and prayed for a swift end.

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**Author's Note: Nice end, huh? Don't worry, this isn't his end. If you're asking what's his name, you'll find out in the next chapter.  
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**As a goodbye-for-now, I'll give you a riddle**. "**You're in a circuit race. You pass the second placer. What is your current place?" Answer is in the next chapter!**


	2. Arrival: Part II

**Yay! Part 2 of 3!**

**As for the riddle I left you last time, the answer is-2nd. Why? Consider this what place do you need to be too pass 2nd? 3rd, right? So if you pass the 2nd, you are now _2nd. _Not 1st. Did I fool with your mind?  
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ARRIVAL: Part II

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It happened all too quickly. One minute he was standing still amidst a horde of strange creatures with his eyes closed, the next, he was pushed down on the cold asphalt, hearing slashes in front of him.

_What happened?_ He thought as he opened his eyes. A man wearing a black cloak stood with his back to him. Wisp of black smoke dissipated in the cold air in front of the man. There was a _schwing,_ and the man's weapon disappeared before he could get a good look at it.

For several seconds, the boy simply stared at the man's back, slowly swaying in the wind. But he realized his current situation.

"Who are you!" he demanded, the anger showing on his face.

The man started to turn, and the boy saw-or perhaps, didn't saw- the man's face was covered by the shadow of the hood.

"Relax, kid. I ain't gonna hurt you." the man said with a rather lazy tone.

"Yeah, that's what they all say." the boy retorted.

The man moved his head closer but still rooted to the spot. Somehow, the boy knew he was staring at him intently.

"I just saved your life, kid. Can't you at least be grateful?"

The anger vanished from his face. True, he _had_ saved him. But could he be really trusted? In a place like this, you may never know; this guy could be worse than what he was just saved from. He put on a stern look.

"Okay, thank you. Now what do you want from me?"

The man moved his head back.

"Simple, to come with me."

"And if I don't want to?" he said, moving into a battle stance. The man simply laughed.

" 'And if I don't want to?' Seriously? Think of your odds."

And with that, the boy dropped his stance. He realized the stupidity of his statement. What chances are of him winning against somebody who could kill a whole horde of beasts when he couldn't even beat one? He looked back at the man.

"Alright, I'll come with you."

If it were anywhere else, it wouldn't be wise accept the stranger's offer. But in a place like this, it was.

The man offered him up, and he took it. He started to move to a street nearby, but the boy didn't notice. He was suddenly aware that the TV on the skyscraper he was just in had flickered on. Before it shut off seconds later, he saw one word flash on the screen.

_Memories._

His eyes widened; he felt like he was hit by a train. Realization swept over him.

"Hey! You comin' or what?" the man yelled from the street he approached earlier, only now noticing he wasn't following. The boy snapped out of his trance and ran to the man, the thought still fresh on his mind.

_I don't remember anything._

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_**And done! Would you believe I made all this up all in a day?**

**Okay, I know I said you'll know his name in this chapter. But it just didn't come up. I promise next chapter!**

**Note to all, tell all you know who would like my fic to read this. And oh, if you're gonna answer my riddles, might as well add a review. (please? I need criticism)**

**And now, a riddle!**

**''You're in the same race as before. You pass last place. What's your current standing?"  
**


	3. Arrival: Part III

**Part 3 of 3!**

**You finally get to know the boy's name here in this chapter. As for the man... some other time. You'll also get to see a conversation between the boy and another cloaked man.  
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**As for last time's riddle, the answer is-1st. Remember, I said passed _last._ If you passed last, wouldn't you be last before you passed him? So the only logical answer is 1st.  
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Arrival: Part III**_

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"HOW THE HECK DID I MISS THIS?"

Though the thought of having no recollection of his shook him to the very core, his mind was dealing with something almost equally head-throbbing.

They, he and the man stood at a cliff overlooking a large hole. A large, beautiful yet sinister white castle, with large impossible looking towers encircling the bailey and keep floated above it. What the boy said was a valid point; something this big and out of this world should have been noticed a long time ago. With a look at the boy's look disbelieving, the man answered his question.

"The castle is invisible to all beings who are not part of the Organization. You can see it because you're with me."

The boy could only hear "invisible" and "you're with me" because of the immensity of thinking he was doing, but it was enough for him. He put on a straight face as the man raised his hand in the direction of the castle.

After several moments, the man turned his hand into a fist and pulled his arm back, causing a beam of light to burst from the castle, landing on the end in front of them. The beam grew wider and wider, until it formed a blue path up the castle.

"Whoa..."

"Yeah, it still amazes me even now." The man said, as they started to ascend the path and enter the castle.

The boy's head must be at the brink of exploding by now. He was dazzled by the intricate designs on the walls. He could not believe such things could be possible.

"We're here."

The boy look in front of him, to see a large gray door. The man pushed the door open, and they entered.

They now stood at a large, white circle room, darkened by the lack of windows. All around the room, thrones of varying heights are mounted into the wall. They were all empty except for the tallest, where another cloaked man sat, his hooded head resting on his fist. The man gestured the boy's companion to leave, and he exited the room.

The man straightened in his seat and stared intently at the boy, and he stared back.

"What is this place?" was the first thing out of the boy's mouth.

"This is the Castle that Never Was, the headquarters of the Organization XIII. The organization you shall be part of from now on."

"What?" bewilderment spreading across his face.

"Hmph. Perhaps I was too prompt with you. Let's start with: what is your name?"

The boy dreaded being reminded of his lost memory. He put his hand on his chin, thinking. He racked his brain for a name. He stared up at the ceiling, as if the answers were written on it. Then it flashed through his mind.

"Zeke."

"Ah, Zeke. Well as I said before this is Organization XIII. While you are here, you will perform missions that will inch us even closer to our goal."

"Which is..."

"To gain a heart."

"A heart?"

"Yes. You see, we- which is to say me, you and all of the the other Organization members- are Nobodies. We lack a true heart."

"A true heart..." he said as he clutched his chest."What do you mean?"

"You were perhaps killed by the Heartless while you still had a heart. Your heart left your body and soul, which is what you are now. It also left a remnant within you that still allows you to feel several emotions."

Suddenly, he felt a searing pain in his head, as an image flashed through his head. He closed his eyes and put his hands on his head.

A town in ruins; a gigantic beast; a mysterious man with a wicked smile-

He opened his eyes, and he was back in the round room. The man continued, seemingly oblivious to what had just happened.

"I can understand that you may have lost you memory, am I correct?"

He nodded.

"Do not worry, that is a common thing to newborn Nobody."

Silence spread between them. They stared at each other. _I'm a Nobody? I don't have a heart?_ He just found it hard to believe. Minutes later, Zeke was first to break the silence.

"Alright."

"Hm?"

"I'll join. I'll join the Organization."

The man rested himself on the back of his throne. "Very well then. However you cannot use your name any more. You shall now be referred to as Kexez. Number XIII in the Organization. Title:- well, you'll get yours soon. You shall be formally introduced to the Organization tomorrow. We don't have a proper bed for you just yet, so you will have to sleep in our spare room for a while. You may go."

Zeke, now Kexez, stepped out of the room, to be met by the same man he had gone to the castle with.

"Come I'll show you to the room." He had been listening on their conversation.

They walked through the corridors, Kexez not paying attention to where they were going, once again admiring the walls once more.

"Here we are. Your room." he said as he opened a door to a dingy room, with dust lining the shelves and boxes. He stared at the man, irritated.

"What? It's been a long time since we had a newbie here. Well, g'night kid." he waved at him as he walked away.

The boy sighed as he entered the room. He sat on the bed, dusting off the stray dirtballs from it.

_What a day._ He thought as he laid down on the bed, and drift to sleep.

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**Alright! Arrival's finished. If you're asking if the leader's Xemnas or an OC, you'll not find an answer; I haven't quite decided.**

**No riddle today. I think putting riddles in these chapters distracts readers from the story. So I'll only be doing that if updates are taking long.**

**Yes, I know Kexez is a hard name to pronounce, but it seemed best for the name Zeke.**

**Teaser: Next time, Kexez get's really irritated, he remembers something else, he meets and make a friend, and he'll get a proper room.  
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	4. Harmonious Hands

**_ Harmonious Hands  
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_He saw he was no longer in the dusty room he was given to sleep, but somewhere else. This place looked distorted, like looking at it through moving water. A large tree stood high up on what looked like a hill. He started to ascend, and heard unrecognizable chatter from two figures who were by the tree, one leaning on it, the other sitting on the branch. Suddenly his knees buckled, his vision blurred, and heard the maniacal laughter in his head-_

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Kexez awoke and sat bolt upright on the bed in the dusty room_, _rather groggily. He looked outside the single window in the room, and saw it was still dark. He looked at the tiny clock on the shelf beside him.

"5:30?" he muttered as he laid back down. "Man, did I wake up early." He stared up at the ceiling and started to think.

_What was up with that dream? Who were does two? Why does it seem familiar?_

His thinking was interrupted by a grumbling in his stomach.

"Bathroom." He mumbled as stood up and ran to the nearest bathroom. Nobody told him where it was; he's lucky he noticed it the night before.

He emerged from the bathroom several minutes later, with a look of satisfaction on his face. As he walked back to his room, he started to think once more. But not of the dream.

_Okay let's see where I am now. I'm on my way to becoming part of a mysterious Organization, where everyone seems to wear cloaks, who all live in a floating castle situated in a city filled with dark beings called Heartless, and I no longer have a heart... either this is real or I'm really high right now._

He gave a hearty chuckle at the thought. But the smile vanished as he looked to the left.

"Isn't this... the same bathroom?" he said while staring at the white door. It looked like it; it even smelled like it.

"No... no way..." he started to run, the words echoing in his head. He rounded twists and turns, but when he rounded a corner he was back at the bathroom.

He gave it another go, this time taking longer than before, and happiness spread over him, but it got lost as he saw the door again. He sank to his knees and yelled loudly:

"I'M LOST!"

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*Meanwhile...*

A boy started to get out of bed. He smacked his lips, and felt they were dry. He stepped across the messy floor covered in crumpled paper, and took the black cloak hanging from a chair. He put it on, left his bedroom, and started the walk to the kitchen.

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*Back at Lost Central half an hour later...*

Kexez walked-or rather dragged himself- through the labyrinthine halls, head bowed. He had been treading aimlessly through them trying to find his way back to the room. He was better off in a dusty, aged room than lost in a maze.

He looked up and gave a gasp of exasperation as he saw the door.

"It's hopeless..." he said groggily to himself, but pushed on anyways. Waking up this early and getting lost was really wearing him down.

All of a sudden, his head hit something.

"OW!" he exclaimed as he massaged his head.

Right in front of him was a door, larger, more ornamented and more aged than the round room he went to last night. He had not seen another door besides the bathroom one, and he was glad.

He placed a hand on the door and pushed, it giving a loud creak. He poked his head inside.

It was a dark room, silver in color. A heavy violet curtain, faded with age, covered what seemed to look like a large window. Small beams of light can be seen under the curtain; the sun had risen already. There seemed to be a large piece of furniture in the middle of the room. He felt his way to the curtains and parted them. He turned around and saw a magnificent black piano.

Kexez sat down on the seat in front of the piano. He wiped the dust from the cover, a sign of disuse. He opened the piano and laid his hands on the ivory keys.

Then, he heard it. A note. But it sounded not from the piano but in his head. He suddenly knew how to play that note. He raised his hands, and pressed them on the keys.

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The boy withdrew his hand from the toaster; his hand had slipped and had touched the hot metal. He washed his fingers under the tap. He grabbed a paper towel, and picked up the toast. He took a big bite from it, and picked up the notepad from the kitchen table. He started to walk back to his room.

But something made him stop. Faint music. Like from a piano. He stared down the hallway the music was coming from. With toast in hand, he followed it.

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With every press of the keys, a new note played in his head. It all seemed familiar; the song he was playing, with notes that harmonized with each other. It formed music that was sweet to the ears. if he had a heart, he was sure it would break at it's beauty.

As he played the last note, he felt an emptiness within him. He listened to the ringing in his ears. He felt... sad.

_Creak._

He was surprised at the noise. He looked back at the door, and saw it was much wider than before.

"Who's there?" he called out loudly.

A cloaked boy stepped into the room. What was different with this one from the other cloaked men was that he could see his face. He looked the same age he was. He had dark blue hair and had black eyes-or eye, as the other eye was covered with a white cloth/bandage that wrapped around his forehead.

"Were you the one making that music?" the boy asked. He noticed gruffness in his tone.

"Yeah." he answered, lowering his voice.

"You were great. Where did you learn to do that?"

"I'm not exactly sure," he stared down at the piano keys then at his hands, "I don't remember much from my past. It just... came to me."

"Oh, you lost your memory?" Kexez nodded. The boy gave a big grin. "You must be the new guy they've been talking about. Heh, don't let the whole amnesia thing get you down; I lost a few memories myself."

He looked up at the boy. "Thanks. Um, do you happen to know your way around here. I've kind of been lost for the past hour."

At that, the boy started to laugh. When he stopped he said, "You got lost. Well, if you're not part of the Organization, or you're not with with an Organization member, you'll get lost here easily."

_Man, I wish that guy last night had told me about that. Jerk. _Kexez thought to himself. "Is there a kitchen here somewhere? I'm kinda hungry."

"Yeah, I'll show you." He turned to exit, and Kexez rose from the seat to follow. He caught up to him and walked by his side. He saw he was a bit taller than him.

"By the way, I'm Kexez."

The boy looked at him. "Naxell- the name's Naxell."

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**The song's "Eternity: Memory of Lightwaves", the main menu song of FF X-2. I've never actually known how to play the piano, but if I did, this would be one of the many songs I'll always be playing.**

**Also, if you've got a good OC character, put them in a review, and I may just use them.**


	5. The Organization XIII

**Okay, I just realized Naxell looks like a pirate because of my description. Whether you see him as that or as somebody like Kakashi, it's up to you.**

**I made a mistake last time, it's only one figure, not two figures, in Kexez's dream.  
**

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_**The Organization XIII**_

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For the past hour, Kexez and Naxell sat and talked in a large gray room, which was blandly called the the Gray Area. There were couches that surrounded coffee tables, but there was nothing much interesting about this room, just that it looked like a living room. Kexez sat upside down on his chair, while Naxell sat with his feet on the seat, his notepad mounted on his knees. It was still early in the morning, but Kexez can already hear the scuffling of feet towards the kitchen, which was nearby.

"Hey, what're you doing on that notepad anyway?" Kexez asked.

Naxell raised his head form the pad. "Oh, I'm just drawing. My Somebody seems to be skilled in drawing, and he seems to like it."

Kexez thoughts wandered to his dreams of earlier. But a familiar voice broke into his mind.

"Hey, kid."

He fell from his seat, and bonked his head on the floor. He massaged his head; it was still sore from earlier. He looked up and saw a cloaked man standing behind his seat. He recognized this man from last night by his voice. Naxell looked up at the scene.

"There's gonna be a meeting in an hour at the Round Room. All of the members are required to attend." He looked toward Naxell. "Oh, and take this." He tossed him a brown package. Kexez opened it like a child on Christmas morning, and found a black cloak.

"Alright! No more getting lost for me!" he said, looking at the cloak with awe.

"Yeah, and I won't have to rescue you anymore." he said jokingly as he helped him up.

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An hour later, Kexez and Naxell entered the Round Room. A few of the others were already there; they were either sleeping on their seats or doing something else. He saw one was listening to an Ipod. He looked around and saw that the room had grown larger. He counted the thrones and realized there were now thirteen, when there where only twelve last night. He clambered up on his throne, which the roman numeral "XIII" was scrawled on the backrest. He tried looking at the others, but they were busy. As boredom was about to strike him, he heard a man clear his throat.

A cloaked man sat on the highest throne, which was across from him.

"First business, is the introduction of our newest member, Kexez." He raised his hand and gestured to him. "May you treat him well."

Kexez felt uneasy. Twelve people, half of who were hooded, and only three he was comfortable with, were all looking at him. He shyly waved at them. "Hi."

Several greeted back, but others remain silent.

"Second, because of the mess in the kitchen last week," the leader said as he seemed to glared down on a man who was sitting on the lowest throne, and when he noticed this, he flinched, "the making of," he looked down at a piece of paper," 'Imaweener Shake' ," he read, " is forbidden."

Several of the members chuckled at the leader, and when Kexez realized the joke, he laughed too.

The leader continued, oblivious to the joke. "Third, a serious threat has arisen. An enigmatic group has been interfering with the affairs of the Organization. They are characterized as wearing cloaks similar to ours, but more age-worn, and has an emblem printed on it's back. The emblem shall be posted in the Gray Area. It is recommended to avoid fighting this group, as they are highly dangerous, and focus on your mission. That is all."

The leader suddenly disappeared in a black smoke, and so did several others, but Kexez didn't notice. He exited the room and returned to the Grey Area with Naxell.

"Hey, where ya goin'?" Naxell asked as he saw Kexez walk to a couch. "Aren't you gonna see what your mission is for today?"

"Oh, right. Sorry." Kexez answered sheepishly. They walked towards a large bulletin board, pieces of paper pinned on it. He scanned for a paper with his number on it. He saw his and took it.

It read:

_XIII- Kexez_

_Mission Type: Retrieval_

_Mission World: Radiant Garden_

_Mission Partner: X- Naxell_

_Description: An Organization member who had investigated the aforementioned world, had accidentally left precious data regarding top secret info about the Organization. Retrieve the file before it gets in the wrong hands._

Naxell appeared behind his shoulder. "Well, looks like we're partners today."

"I guess we are." he said as Naxell opened a portal.

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**Still looking for more OC!**

**I think the length of the time span in between chapter updates will increase. I got lots of projects for school that need to be done.**


	6. Firsts

Firsts

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In an alleyway in a large town a portal appears. From it, Kexez was thrown out, like a cat in the night.

"Man I really need to get used to that." he said massaging his head which he was sure had a large bump by now.

Naxell walked from the portal, and it vanished. He helped him up, and Kexez walked toward a ridge.

"Whoa, this town is big! How the heck are we gonna find that file?"

"Hmm..." Naxell stood with his hand on his chin. He took something from his pocket; his note pad and a brush. He began to move the brush across the paper. Kexez wanted to blurt out, "What are you doing?" but the question was answered before it escaped his lips. From the notepad rose several birds, white in color with outlines heavily emphasized, and they fluttered in the air, looking at their creator.

"Search for the file." Naxell said towards his avian creations. They flew away in different directions across the sky.

Kexez was too occupied watching them fly away, that he was surprised that Naxell had pushed him back into the alleyway.

"What're you-"

"Ssshh!"

He looked over his shoulder, and saw why. Several creatures, with yellow beady eyes like the ones that had attacked him, silver helmets, blue bodies and red claws, were running on the street. He noticed a black heart with red thorn vines enveloping it on their chests. As the clanging of their armor faded, Naxell let go.

"Heartless. Be prepared to fight back if they pose a hindrance."

"Wait,wait. 'Fight?'"

"Yeah, what's the problem?"

"I don't know how to fight!"

"What?" he looked at him.

"I mean I can punch and kick, but I don't think that'll do much damage to those things." he looked at a distant Soldier's claws.

"Are you saying your Somebody's a wuss?"

"NO! I can feel he knows how to fight, but I just can't remember how!"

Naxell sighed. "Well just leave the fighting to me for now." He put his hood on and started to walk from the alleyway. Kexez put his own hood on too; his face was red from defending his position. _Man that was embarrassing._

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For about five hours, they wandered the streets in search of the file. The town had more residents than the Dark City, so it was pretty hard to avoid people from detecting their presence. Luckily, the routes they took were often deserted. Kexez wasn't used to walking for a long time; he had only walked for half an hour in the halls. He felt his feet were going to buckle at anytime soon. But just as he was going to ask Naxell to rest, one of the birds had returned, and landed on Naxell's shoulder.

"They've found it." he said to Kexez. The bird suddenly flew away, and he followed it.

"Hey, wait up!" he yelled as he tried to catch up.

Through corners and alleyways they traversed, until the bird came to a halt. It dissipated into the air, the ink splattering on a small CD laying on the ground.

"The file!" they both exclaimed. as they ran towards the disc.

Suddenly, the disc was obstructed with several portals. They came to a halt as Soldiers started appearing in front of them. He looked around and saw several more behind them.

"Great, company." Naxell said as he brought out his notebook and started drawing again. This time, wolves popped from the paper. They growled at the enemies.

"Sic!" The wolves pounced on several of the Soldiers. Each wolf took down one or two of them, but the large numbers of Heartless made Naxell draw more wolves to make up for the wolves that were destroyed by them.

"Kexez! Get the file!" he yelled as a fresh batch of wolves popped from the book. Kexez pushed through the thinning wall of Heartless, punching and kicking his way through. He dove for the disc.

He suddenly felt a searing pain across his back. A large Soldier with a different color scheme had clawed him. He now lay face flat on the asphalt. The Heartless stood above him, and he felt a strange feeling of deja vu. He look towards Naxell, and saw that he too was on the ground. As the Heartless raised his red claws for the final blow, he closed his eyes and tried to bat it away with his hand.

And it did. He was surprised at his own strength that he opened his eyes. He stared with awe as his hands flickered with black flames. The flames didn't burn him, but he had a weird sensation on his fingers. He clenched his hand, and flames turned into a fireball. He stood up, and knew what to do. He threw the fireball at the Soldiers that had clambered onto Naxell. They were thrown backward onto the concrete wall. Several advanced on him, and he threw more fireballs at them. A smile spread across his face. With this power, he no longer felt weak.

He didn't know if they knew he was more than they can handle, but the Heartless suddenly dissipated in portals. Naxell rose from the ground and started to walk towards him. The black flames began to disappear from his hands.

"Heh, looks like you're not a wuss after all." he saw patting him on the back.

"I guess I'm not." he smiled at him as he picked up the disc.

"Well, we got the file already. It's time to go back to the castle." he said as he opened a portal.

He nodded, and went through, hoping that he'd still be standing when he get's back.

* * *

**How many firsts can you see here?**

**The Soldier with a different color scheme is called the Sergeant by the way.  
**


	7. Voices in Darkness

**Goddamit! I pressed the wrong document.*ehem* Sorry about this mistake.**

**Hey does anybody know a good drawing software like the members of DeviantArt use?**

* * *

**_Voices in Darkness_**

* * *

For the rest of the afternoon, Kexez simply lay on his new bed. He was in a different bedroom now; it was cleaner, brighter than the room from last night, it even resembled a hotel suite. He placed his hand to the the light that hung over his room. Hours ago, black flames licked his hands, but felt no warmth from it. What's more, he seemed able to control it, he remembered smiling when he figured that out. He closed his eyes and began to think.

_How does it feel?  
_

Kexez's eyes flew open and jumped from the bed. The voice wasn't his own, neither was his thinking voice or any other person's he knew. It was eerie, low and menacing. He ran towards the door and peered down the hallways. It was deserted. He closed the door and scratched his head.

_What the heck was that?_ he thought with his own voice. _Was it someone from my past?_

He shook the feeling off, and looked out the window. The sun had already sank over the horizon. He stepped out of the room to get dinner before he slept.

* * *

Problem was, Kexez just couldn't sleep. He opened his eyes for the fifteenth time since 9 PM. He hopped off the bed and took his cloak and walked out to go to No. VII.

He remembered Naxell telling Kexez about him. No. VII's name was not that wide spread out. He was either referred to as VII or "Doc." He was the Org.'s doctor. He was mainly recruited because No. IV tends to make his patients into test subjects, being a scientist and all, and not fit for medicine.

He knocked on Doc's room. A loud yet gentle voice answered, "Come in."

Kexez walked into the room, which doubled as the infirmary. There were several beds in here, some were covered in curtains. He could see the silhouette of a member through one of them. He looked to his left and saw a twenty-ish brown haired man who wore square eyeglasses writing down on a book.

Noticing Kexez, Doc closed the book and stood. He wore the cloak like everybody else, the only difference was a staff with silver snakes wrapping around it; he remembered it was the symbol for medicine.

"You're the new guy, aren't you? Nice to meet you." he raised his hand to shake his.

Kexez took it. "Same here."

"So, what brings you at this time of the night?"

"Well, I have been having trouble sleeping."

"Ah." Doc stepped back to a medicine cabinet. After rummaging in it for a while, a small box dropped from it, and Doc had to dive for it to catch it. He stood up straight, and gave him a small pill. "Swallow this, and you'll have a better chance of sleeping."

Doc stared down at Kexez. "But I can tell from your face that your gonna need to take one for every day of the week. May I ask what is wrong?"

Kexez, who was studying the pill, looked up to a Doc with an inquisitive look. "Oh, I just went on my first mission today, and suddenly my hands were engulfed in a black fire, and just this afternoon-"

"Did you say black fire?" Doc asked again now serious.

He nodded, and Doc went to his desk, combing the contents of his drawer. He brought out a dusty folder, and read it.

After several minutes of stillness, Doc snapped the folder shut. "Darkness."

"What?"

"The black flames, they are caused by darkness."

"Wait, I still don't-"

"Well basically, your power is darkness. But the existence of it in a Nobody is rare, as darkness is housed in the heart. Tell me, do you remember using darkness as a Somebody?"

Before he could say no, a memory flashed in his head. He seemed to juggle fireballs in his memory.

"Yes."

"Ah. Well your heart remnant may still contain the darkness from your past.

"Oh thanks. One more thing though."

"What?"

"I keep hearing some guy's voice in my head."

"Hmm... perhaps a voice from someone in your past."

"That makes sense. Well, thanks again." He approached the door and had his hand over the knob when he heard Doc whisper.

"_Don't overuse it._"

"What was that?" he turned around at the Doc.

"Oh, I said good night."

He looked confused, but nodded. "Good night to you too."

He stepped out of the room, and walked to his room, pill in hand.

_That didn't sound like what he said, or maybe I need to clean my ears?_ he thought all the while twisting his pinky in his ear.

He took of his cloak, and lay down on his bed, his mind now more at ease; he didn't even need to use the pill, because he was asleep before the hem of his clothes touched the bed.

_Dark...nesss..._

* * *

**And once again, I choose fanfiction over schoolwork!**

**Yeah, I got lazy coming up with a new name.  
**


	8. Crisis in the Heat

**Once again, sorry for the malfunction with the last chapter. It's fixed now.**

**

* * *

_Crisis in the Heat_  
**

**_

* * *

_**Kexez groaned. Who wouldn't under the blazing sun at high noon in the middle of the desert and you've been walking for an hour? He basically dragged his boots across the hot sand, sweat trickling down almost every inch of his body; from the tips of his silvery hair to the toes that were scrunched up in his boots.

He had a noticeably large black and violet sword perched on his shoulder. He had used this when several Heartless attacked. He kept it on his shoulder just in case anymore Heartless attack. It had appeared to him while training with Naxell yesterday. There was an odd familiarity with the sword, as if he wielded it once before.

He wasn't walking alone in the desert, however. Moving at the same pace as him, was a girl with long, light brown hair. Her name was Rosuxis, or Rose, as Kexez had taken the liberty of nicknaming her. She was her partner for today. It seemed odd to send a girl in this blaring heat, but he didn't question it much. He had met her the day before, and found out she was nice but hardy. Also, she wielded a Keyblade.

This didn't surprise Kexez much, as the days before he saw several teens wielding them also. People seemed to respect the keyblade wielders, he just didn't get why.

Just about to give up on the heat, he turned to his partner. "Dammit! These cloaks don't help in this heat."

"I agree with you, Kexez, but these are mandatory." she answered as they made for the shade of a ruined building.

"Hey, Rose." he said as he leaned back on a wall. "Aren't you supposed to know water type spells?"

She slapped herself on the head. "Oh yeah, that's right!" She summoned her keyblade, which was an ocean blue.

_Watera._

Suddenly, Kexez was suddenly pinned to the wall, pressured by the torrent of water that was coming at him. When it had stopped, he stood still leaning against the wall, his hair and face dripping wet, his cloak only looking wet because it was waterproof.

"S-sorry! This h-heats getting to me." Rose stuttered and Kexez saw she was wet too.

"Ah, don't worry, at least we're both cool now."

They both tried drying their hair with their hands; Rose squeezing her hair and Kexez brushing his head with his hand vigorously.

"So, where is this "giant Heartless" were supposed to hunt down anyway?" he said to Rose.

"I dunno. They said it was in the desert, but aside from those Heartless from before, it's been pretty quiet."

They stepped out from the shade and started to search again.

"Man it's hot!" Rose yelled minutes later.

"Thank you, Mrs. Obvious."

"No, I mean hotter. I've been here a couple of times already, and it's way hotter."

"Umm... pollution?"

He suddenly heard a distant rumble.

"Come on be ser-"

"Shh!"

"Don't you shh-"

"Keep quiet! Listen!"

The rumbling seemed to draw closer, as if going for them.

"Back-to-back. Keep your ears and eyes open. Be ready for anything." He mumbled to her as the rumbling seemed to circle them. Then, silence.

Suddenly, a cloud of sand rose, and they jumped apart with swords in hand, as a large, twisty object hurtled through the dust at them, and vanished as soon at it had appeared. Kexez wiped the sand from his eyes, and saw something red in the horizon. Pillars of flames of a sun red blasted through the sand. The pillars all around them arched, and soon a fiery dome had enveloped them.

They stood and surveyed the area. Their ambusher had vanished, but it was only until Rose had shouted "There!" and pointed to a region of the dome wall, did he saw it.

It was a fire-red scorpion, with eight legs with white joints, and a segmented tail with its tip glowing more red than most of its body. It snarled at them, and dropped to the sand. It stood its charged at it, and as soon as it noticed their movement, it started to fire balls of fire at them from its tail. They dodged them with difficulty, several passing the hem of their cloaks. But as they got close, it whipped its tail at them, sending them down to the sand, and burrowing somewhere else.

They ran at it again, almost the same thing happening again. When the scorpion was about to swing its tail, Kexez vaulted it, and Rose slid under it. Kexez sliced at its tail, making the end dangle and it squirmed. Rose attacked it hard with a water and keyblade combo that sent it tumbling several feet away. It struggled to get back on its feet. They were about to charge at it again, but its head, legs, and tail stump twisted around, with its former belly now its back.

Something startled them. It was once again unmoving. Then it started to tremble. The tail tip broke off and disappeared in the air. The stump suddenly burst with a large flame, and soon, cracks started to form on his back, like jaws of a beast. It flew open like a coffin, and slowly, a man with a crimson staff rose, a large mask covering his face, with intricate designs on it. On his bare chest, the heartless insignia glowed brightly.

With the man attached to the scorpion, the beast charged at them, the man pointing at them with his staff. They charged as well. As they neared, the scorpion spun again, fast enough that it hit them hard. They stood to see the man wave his staff, and a large fireball the size of a house appeared above them. From it smaller fireballs, like a machine gun, started to fire at them. They ran back and hid behind a large building.

"What do we do now?" Rose yelled amidst the barraging fireballs. The building wasn't going to hold, they could feel it trembling as they hid behind it. Their time was running out. Kexez took a chance and looked around the corner, darting his head back as a fireball flew past by. He looked down at his sword, then to Rose's keyblade, then to the sand. Then it came to him.

"I know how!" he yelled back, and told her his plan.

"What? That's crazy!"

"Better than standing here!"

"...Alright!"

"On one!" he yelled as he raised three fingers. He lowered a finger, then another.

They ran out of their smoldering barricade, and they were immediately pelted with fireballs. But Rose was fast; she raised a giant wall of water in front of her, and Kexez dove behind her. The were drawing nearer and nearer to the scorpion, their barrier shielding them all the way. About several feet away, Rose threw the barrier at the beast, some down to the sand. The air was filled by a dust of sand, and the scorpion was blinded and stunned, the latter by Rose's attack. This was the time for Kexez to act. He navigated clearly through the dust, following the screeches of the beast. He vaulted its mangled head, and thrust his sword deep down in the chest of the man.

He drew the sword out, and jumped back. When the dust cleared, they saw the beast and the man squirming. It started to fade, and when it suddenly stood still, a heart floated up into the sky, and it vanished. The sky cleared; the dome had vanished as well.

"Whoa, that was way past my limit." Kexez said, sitting down in the sand, letting his sword plop.

"Me too. Nice thinkin' out there, Kexez." Rose answered.

"Thanks. Hey can I drink some of your water?"

She smiled, and raised her Keyblade. "This time, you're not getting wet."

* * *

**Sick days+Projects+thinking of story ideas+laziness=long update!**

**The new OC character in this chapter is Rosuxis(didn't need the last name for now) by Addie Marie Jones. Still looking for more OC(preferably male).**

**My OH (Original Heartless) is called the Scarlet Scorpion.  
**

**I'm lacking creativity, so just think for now of Kexez's sword as the Soul Eater, and Rose's Keyblade as the Brightcrest.  
**


	9. The Enemies

**_The Enemies_**

* * *

_XIII-Kexez_

_Mission Type: Retrieval_

_Mission World: Twilight Town_

_Mission Partner: VII-Rosuxis_

_Mission Details: The deceived's weapon has been found. Retrieve it before someone else does._

Kexez stared blankly at the paper, his eyes focused on a single word. _Deceived's? What does that mean?_

He looked around and saw Naxell sipping a drink through a straw, making his way to the rooms.

"HEY NAXELL!"

He stopped and sputtered on his drink. He turned around and eyed him with his one eye.

"Dammit, Kexez! Don't jump on me like that!"

_Jump? I'm ten feet away! _"Sorry. Anyway," he said as he approached his cola-sopping-wet friend," can you look at this?"

He scanned the paper, and after several moments, he looked up. "Please tell me you're asking who Rosuxis is, cuz that's the only thing I can think you would ask me."

"No,no. I already know who Rose is, it's-"

"Wait. 'Rose'?"

"Rosuxis. Rose is the nick I gave her."

"Ooohh-kaayyy. Continue."

"This." He pointed to 'deceived' "What does this mean?"

He looked up to the ceiling, and scratch his head. Kexez could hear him mumble under his breath. "Deceived... deceived, dammit where have I have heard that before... was it... no.. wait... Ah ha!"

Kexez jumped back at the intensity of his voice. " You see, it's like this. About a year ago, two members betrayed the Organization."

"W-what! Why? Who were they?" Kexez stuttered.

"Dunno." Naxell shrugged. Almost immediately, Kexez' look of surprise turned into exasperation.

"Are you even sure this happened?"

"Actually, no. I just heard it from some higher ranks."

Kexez sighed. "Well thanks anyway."

"No prob. Now if you _excu~use _me, I need to wash this." he said as he ruffled his cloak and went off, leaving Kexez to think.

_Maybe 'deceived' is one of those traitors? But I don't even know if that actually happened! Maybe- wait a minute, why am I thinking of this right now? I've got a mission to do!_

* * *

Once again, he found himself walking side by side next to Rose, tired again. This time it wasn't due to heat, but exhaustion, they had been walking for, and he only assumed this, for ten hours so. As much as there was sands on the beach, it was equal to how many times Kexez told himself,_ Where the heck is that thing?_

"Hey Rose, can we take a break?"

She looked up high in the sky, and noticed it was almost sundown. "Meh. Why not."

They were in front of the station. Rose bought ice cream for the two of them form a nearby stand. They rested their arms on the guardrail as they rested.

"I'm not even sure that thing still here. We've been looking for hours now." Kexez groaned as he turned to look at a nearby clock. It read 5:32.

"Come on, Kexez. Don't be such a pessimist." Rose said playfully as she bit a large chunk out of her ice cream.

"I'm not being a pessimist, I'm just stating what could be possible. What flavor is this anyway?" he said as he held up the ice cream up to the light of the setting sun.

"Sea salt."

"Sorry?"

"Sea salt."

"You're kidding me."

"Don't knock it until you try it."

He shrugged and licked it. In almost an instant, he was struck in a daze. It wasn't its taste, it was its...familiarity.

"See, what'd I tell ya?" she told him with a big grin, obviously misreading his expression.

"Yeah..." For like an hour they sat there and ate their ice cream, Kexez slightly slower that Rose. Then an idea struck Kexez. Rose was a higher rank! Maybe she knew something about the traitors.

Kexez opened his mouth to ask her, but before he could finish his sentence or his ice cream, a large clatter sounded from an alleyway. They stood up and ran for what had caused it, dropping their ice creams in the process. It was a small hunch, but it could be what they were looking for.

Sure enough, as they rounded the corner, a small, dwarfish heartless stood with its back to them, a large cloth draped across his neck, something twice it's size in it.

"Kexez! That's the weapon!"

Kexez eyed the small portion of what looked like the handle that was sticking out of it. The imp turned around and saw them. It jumped up, flailing its feet in the air, and ran off. They followed the imp's minute laughter, and they found it. But as they lunged at it, the imp split into two. Kexez and Rose collided with each other, and as they stood while caressing their heads, the imp twins ran off in opposite directions; one to the sandlot, the other down to the underground.

"You take that one I'll take this one!" Kexez yelled as he dashed down the to the underground. Through twist and turns, he chased the imp. But it was excruciatingly hard as even with the lamps lit, the dark spaces between them made him momentarily lose sight of it. What seemed hours of chasing but only a few minutes in reality, Kexez drew his sword, and threw it at it out of frustration.

The sword pierced clean through the imp's chest. The blade struck the cloth too, and the weapon clattered several feet away from the dissipating imp. As the heart rose to the night sky, and his pride heightened, Kexez ran for the weapon as he picked up his sword.

But Kexez hit heavily a heavy barrier that had blocked his path. There was a large electrical shock upon impact, which was the reason he was sitting down on the cobblestones. He struggled against the paralysis to raise his head, to see what had caused it.

Standing in front of him, were two Organization members. They stood with their hoods up on the opposite side of the violet barrier. The taller of the two walked to the weapon and he picked it up.

"We have what we got. Let's head back."

He turned, and Kexez saw something that made his eyes grow wide. On the back of this man, was a heart outline, twisted where the rounded ends meet, with a large "X' overlapping the entire heart. It was now clear to him.

This wasn't Organization XIII.

The other that stood still turned and opened a dark corridor. The taller stepped in, sling the weapon on his shoulder, and as the other stepped in as well, he turned to Kexez. He seemed to eye the sword he held in his hand. Kexez heard a small, singular, mocking laugh escape from the man, and he stepped back, uttering a single sentence.

"The darkness isn't a play thing, you know." he said, the last words faded as the dark corridor vanished.

For several minutes, Kexez sat on the ground, staring at where the corridor had been, stunned inside and out of what just happened. It was Rose's voice that snapped him back to reality.

"Kexez! What happened?" Rose said as she ran to help him up.

"Two men... they took... the weapon." Kexez said as he still struggled with the paralysis.

"What? Who were they?"

"Our... enemies."

"You mean, the mysterious group that the Superiors told us about?"

He nodded, the paralysis turning into a mere tingle on his body. He turned back down the alleyway, and saw something.

On the ground, where the weapon once lay, was a small card; a business card. He walked towards it and picked it up. Drawn on it was the same heart and cross seen on the back of the men. Scrawled across the bottom, in an ornate design, were these words:

_The 13th Order._

* * *

**_I can just imagine Rowdy Rumble playing in the background as they chased that thing._**

_**This chapter delay was brought to you by:**_

_**Phoenix Wright(Ace Attorney, Justice for All, Trials and Tribulations)**_

_**Naruto Shipuuden Ultimate Ninja 5**_

_**Sonic Riders Zero Gravity**_

_**writer's block**_

_**pre-xmas break exam week(and I can't believe I'm still typing this.)**_

_**my birthday(today, Dec 20)**_

_**a very grumpy sister**_

_**A little riddle just for the heck of it:**_

_**"Ten candles stood ablaze in a room. Suddenly, a huge gust blew in from a window, extinguishing two candles. Another gust, and another candle goes out. You stand up and shut the wind. Assuming no more candles were extinguished, how many candles do you have in the end?" **_

_**Merry Christmas to y'all!**_


	10. Mood Movement

_**It has occurred to me that I lacked an 'I' in Rose's rank number last time. My bad.**_

**_The answer to the riddle:_**

**_"3. Why? Analyze the question again.'Assuming that no more candles are extinguished, how many candles do you have in the end?' If a burning candle is left alone, it will eventually turn into a pool of wax, so the candles that were blown out, which is three, would not be reduced to that._**

* * *

_Mood Movement_

* * *

Kexez awoke in his bed, yawning. He stood up and went to the bathroom, put on his clothes and exited his room. He didn't take his cloak with him today, cause today it wasn't mandatory. Today it was the weekend, and to the Org members, this meant relaxation. They've been given this day and tomorrow off to rest from their missions every week. There was just one problem. With all the voices, traitors, and incomplete memories he always pondered, the idea of what he would do today never struck him.

As he gobbled up the last of the baloney sandwich he had made for his breakfast, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see three people standing before him.

"Hey Kexez, we're going to Twilight Town for the Struggle Tournament. Wanna come?" Naxell asked him.

"Yeah, sure... err, who's that guy behind you?" He replied while pointing to the green hair guy. Immediately, the guy's nostrils started flaring, his smile turning into an angry gritted teeth, and his eyes scrunched up that his forehead formed wrinkles.

"WHAT! YOU DON'T REMEMBER ME!" the guy yelled.

The voice was, despite it's intensity, recognizable in Kexez' mind. He had last heard it a week ago.

"Wait, are you-huh?" He had looked back to where the guy was standing, but he was gone. He looked around, and saw him huddled in a corner, swirling dust on the floor, muttering, "nobody remembers me". From Kexez' left, Rose sighed.

"I think that "side effect" of the medicine Doc gave for his allergies was mood swings."

"You know this guy?" he pointed towards the still depressed guy.

"Sadly enough, yeah." She stepped forward to the guy and tapped in on his shoulder. He turned around and the sad frown turned into a smile again.

"ROOOSSSSEEEE!" He jumped toward her with glee in his eyes. Immediately, Rose dodge him while stuffing a white pill in his mouth. The guy fell face flat on the floor. A few moments of silence, and he started to rise.

"Uhhhmm...what?" He said like he was waking up from a daze. He saw Kexez and smiled."Oh, hey... Kexez, isn't it, kid?"

"Yeah, and you are..." he dared asked him, risking another outburst. But instead, he laughed loudly.

"Oh yeah, that's right. I never got to tell you last time. It's Kerex, aka the dude you first met."

_Yeah, this was the dude who rescued me back then. Never thought the real him was like this._

"Wait, what were we talking about again?" Naxell said as the whole issue dissipated.

"Something about a Straggle Turn-a-men?" Kerex said with a tone as if he had heard things with earmuffs on.

"Oh yeah! The Struggle Tournament! It's a two day event: you comin' or what?" Naxell yelled to Kexez.

"Like I said before, sure!" Kexez replied happily.

"Great! Meet us down at the hangar at 7."Naxell said as he ran down the hall to his room.

"Wait, the hangar?" Kexez yelled to his friend, but he was way out of earshot. He had only been to the hangar once, and that was when he was strolling around the castle."Why there?"

Rose answered his question. "We block out the dark corridors in and out of here for security reasons."

"I see..." he said blankly. He was trying to avoid thinking of the people who would try to get in.

* * *

Half an hour later, Kexez had fished out his munny that he had earned from missions from the bottom drawer, hastily shoved them into his pocket and started to walk to the hangar. He pushed open the cast-iron double doors that led to it.

What met him on the other side were ships lined along the wall, others next to them. Some of them were small and numerous: they seemed to be the grunt ships. Others were larger and more complex. All of them had the symbol of the Nobody emblazoned across their front. With the immensity of the hangar, it looked like just one big Organization XIII parking lot.

Kexez weaved through the maze of ships, until he saw the familiar faces of Naxell, Rose, and Kerex. The moment they spotted him, they waved. He waved back, but it slowed as he started to walk towards the ship behind them. A large ship, silver in color, stood high and proud. The only thought he had in mind was a Lamborghini he had seen the other day... yeah, this was the Lamborghini of ships.

"You like it? I call it the 'Solid Zephyr'. Pretty cool huh?"

"Yeah..." He was still staring at it. It was only a couple of seconds before he realized everybody else was already inside. He walked towards the bottom of the ship, where a large hatch with a ramp was open.

He stepped up to ramp into a room with twelve chairs, barred down to the floor. There were several windows lining the wall, the largest stood in front of the captain's seat. He sniffed to the air, and smelt coffee. He looked to his right, and there was a mini fridge with a coffee maker by it's side, both barred down next to a sink. Beside a door that read Comfort Room, was a steel spiral staircase that led up.

Kexez walked to a seat on the left side and sat down. He could hear the mechanical clank of the hatch closing behind him. Naxell sat on the opposite side, Rose in front of him, and Kerex on the captain's seat.

Kerex pushed a few buttons and flipped a few switches, and the ship started to tremble vigorously. Kexez could hear the swell of the engine's _whirr_ from behind him. He looked out the window, and saw the other ships slowly getting smaller. The ship did a 180 towards the hangar door.

"Dammit." Kerex said as facepalmed himself; the hangar door was still closed. He picked up a small remote from his side and pressed the red button. The door opened with a noisy grind.

The engine roared even louder, and moments later he was thrown back on his seat as the ship zoomed out of the hangar. It jettisoned through the murky clouds, and went into the deep expanse of space.

Kerex pushed several buttons and stood from the seat. A female robotic voice sounded: "Autopilot engaged. Setting course for Twilight Town." He then alighted from his seat and approached the fridge in the back. Rose stood as well to go to the bathroom. Naxell merely sat on his seat, doodling on his notepad.

Several minutes passed, and Kexez grew bored in his seat, He simply sat there, watching the other three. His mind started to wander, back to yesterday, the 13th Order-

He jolted himself back to reality. "_Not the time to think of that."_ He had his eyes closed, and was suddenly aware of his surroundings. The place was now much messier than before. Naxell had fallen of his seat, and now lay face flat on the floor. He quickly rose from his seat and kneeled over him. Rose rushed from the bathroom door to his side. He turned him over, and Kerex gave a heavy groan. His nose was streaming blood.

He stood as Kerex rushed behind him. He stared out the window beside the seat where Naxell sat. "Crap! Not them again!" He sprinted as fast as he could to the pilot seat.

Kexez approached the window. It was covered it soot from smoke that seemed to billow from the side of the ship. As the smoke parted, Kexez saw three ships from afar.

"Kexez! Man the weapons! You're the only one who's capable of using them!" Kerex yelled from the pilot seat. He had disengaged the auto pilot and was steering the ship away from their attackers, dodging their attacks.

"W-where is it?" Kexez stammered, as a flash of red light zoomed by the ship.

"Just go take the stair in the back!"

Kexez ran to the winding steel staircase and hastily climbed it. He almost fell over as another impact rattled the ship.

"Hurry!"

Kexez opened the hatch door at the end, and found a chair, much like the pilot seat, in front of of several buttons. He sat down, and immediately a U-shaped wheel and holographic HUD popped up. On the HUD displayed their enemies: three large menacing ships. A cross-hair was flying across the screen. Lined on the corners of the HUD were smaller screens showing random numbers and devices. He found them dizzying. The wheel in front of him had two red buttons.

A cross-hair, two red buttons, a wheel-couldn't be more simpler than that.

He yanked the wheel to the left as the HUD showed their attackers were to the left. When he got a clear aim, he pressed the the left button. The sound of some sort of weapon sounded. One of the ships was now careening out of control. Kexez took aim again.

Kexez fired rapidly at their pursuers as Kerex steered the ship out of the line of fire. He weaved through the asteroids to escape them. Kexez was having a hard time aiming with all the weaving. Luckily, it was soon over as one of Kexez's misfires hits an asteroid, sending it's debris at them. Soon they were lost in the giant mass.

"Great shooting!" Kerex's voice rose from an intercom beside him.

"Hehe, thanks. How's Naxell?" He said remembering his friend.

"Him? Well, his nose is still bleeding, but at least he's standing."

Kexez sat back on the chair and inhaled deeply. He hadn't felt that much excitement for a while. He stretched.

"Hey, if this thing needs another person to man the turret..." Kexez questioned.

"Well, usually that's automated to 'destroy everything in its path' mode, but it's busted."

He could see Twilight Town not far ahead. He stretched again, but this time his hand hit something. He looked up, and saw he had pressed a large red button, with the words "Last Resort" printed faintly on it.

"Ummm... Kerex? I... accidentally pressed a button that read 'Last Resort.' Should I be worr-"

"WHAT! YOU'VE BEST BE JOKING!" Kerex yelled into the intercom that it gave a _whee _noise.

Suddenly, a blast louder than anything he had ever heard sounded. He could see a laser larger than the ship itself firing continuously into space. The lights started to flicker, the HUD disappeared and he could hear Kerex's fading voice on the intercom.

"CRaP, cRap, CrAP! ThIs iS WoRSe tHan BeINg AtTacKeD!"

The ship drifted to the right and started to spin. Kexez straped himself on the seat just as the ship turned upside down. It started to spin even more violently, as it went down, down, down...

* * *

**Massive... headache...**

**Frickin'... projects...**

**Sorry... if it... took so long...  
**


End file.
